A synthesis-based method for pitch extraction

A synthesis-based method for pitch extraction of the speech signal is proposed. The method synthesizes a number of log power spectra for different values of fundamental frequency and compares them with the log power spectrum of the input speech segment. The average magnitude (AM) difference between the two spectra is used for comparison. The value of fundamental frequency that gives the minimum AM difference between the synthesized spectrum and the input spectrum is chosen as the estimated value of fundamental frequency. The voiced/unvoiced decision is made on the basis of the value of the AM difference at the minimum. For synthesizing the log power spectrum, the speech signal is assumed to be the output of an all-pole filter. The transfer function of the all-pole filter is estimated from the input speech segment by using the autocorrelation method of linear prediction. The synthesis-based method is tried out on real speech data and the results are discussed

Comparative study of electroencephalography changes in dementia

Background: Dementia affected about 46 million people in 2015and this number will roughly triple within the next 40 years. In 2011 Alzheimer's Disease International argue that dementia has become one of the most urgent health and social care challenges of the 21st century and its potential effect on economies around the world is attracting global attention. Predicting dementia in the early stages would be essential for better treatment before significant brain damage occurs. Current difficulty is the lack of specific biomarkers. In some previous studies electroencephalography (EEG) have shown the capability to identify dementia early and even classify the degree of its severity at a lower cost for mass screening. The aim and objective of this study was to EEG changes in vascular dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRD) or dementia where no cause is identifiable, to measure severity of dementia by using DSR scale in different subjects and to correlate DSRS with EEG findings.Methods: Study sample was the 40 patients in each three groups- Dementia patients without any known cause of dementia or Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRD), Vascular dementia (VaD) patients and Controls (age and sex matched subjects scoring more than the cut of score on dementia Scale). Written informed consent will be taken after explaining the objectives and procedure of study in detail. EEG were recorded in eyes closed, on intermittent photic stimulation and hyperventilation, only eyes closed data was used in study and these data were entered in excel sheet and analyzed using SPSS Software, appropriate statistical test was applied wherever necessary.Results: Participants with VaD have theta waves while ADRD group have delta waves preponderance as compare to control.Conclusions: EEG can have additive value in diagnosing VaD as well as it alone can be helpful in differentiating healthy individuals from dementia patients

North-Holland Publishing Company SHORT COMMUNICATION EVALUATION OF VARIOUS LINEAR PREDICTION PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATIONS IN VOWEL RECOGNITION

Abstract. Several alternate linear prediction parametric representations are experimentally compared as to their vowel recognition performance. The speech data used for this purpose consist of 900 utterances of 10 different vowels spoken by 3 speakers in a/b/-vowel-/b/context. The cepstral coefficients representation is found to be the best linear prediction parametric representation. Zusammeniassu'ag. In diesem Beitrag werden verschiedene parametrische Darstellungen yon Sprachsignalen, die auf dem Prinzip der linearen Pr;,idiktion (LPC) basieren, auf ihre Verwendbarkeit in einem Spracherkennungssystem f~r Vokale experimentell untersucht. Das verwendete Sprachmaterial besteht hierbei aus 900 Beispielen yon 10 verschiedenen Vokale

Elastic properties and zone centre frequencies of Cu2O by LCAO method

The elastic properties and the phonon frequencies at the Brillouin zone centre have been investigated for the cubic cuprous oxide. The calculations under the framework of density functional theory have been carried out by deploying the periodic linear combination of atomic orbitals method. After settling the crystal structure the elastic constants have been determined. The absolute values of elastic constants are well in agreement with the experimental reports. The vibrational frequencies at the centre of the Brillouin zone are classified as the Raman and Infrared active modes and compared with the available experimental data. The contribution of vibrational modes to the Gibbs free energy, entropy and heat capacity has also been found

A comparative analysis of the characteristics of the Marine Boundary Layer with GCM and 1-D PBL model simulations using INDOEX IFP-99 data

Glass-sonde observations consisting of wind, temperature and relative humidity at different pressure levels that were obtained on board ORV Sagar Kanya cruise #141 (INDOEX IFP-99), during winter monsoon of 1999 were used for the present study. An attempt has been made to compare the simulation of the evolution of the Marine Boundary Layer as obtained from the one-dimensional PBL model of IIT Delhi, having TKE-ε closure scheme with that obtained from the GCM of NCMRWF having first order closure scheme. Simulation of various boundary layer characteristics including surface and upper air has been studied. The model simulations are compared with the available observations. Both the models simulated the vertical profiles reasonably well compared with the observations

Elastic properties and zone centre frequencies of Cu2O by LCAO method

918-922The elastic properties and the phonon frequencies at the Brillouin zone centre have been investigated for the cubic cuprous oxide. The calculations under the framework of density functional theory have been carried out by deploying the periodic linear combination of atomic orbitals method. After settling the crystal structure the elastic constants have been determined. The absolute values of elastic constants are well in agreement with the experimental reports. The vibrational frequencies at the centre of the Brillouin zone are classified as the Raman and Infrared active modes and compared with the available experimental data. The contribution of vibrational modes to the Gibbs free energy, entropy and heat capacity has also been found

Tubercular Sinus of Labia Majora: Rare Case Report

Tuberculosis of the female external genitalia is unusual and primary infection is rare. We report a 50-year-old female patient admitted to Department to Surgery with swelling over left inguinal area with discharging sinus from labia majora to left inguinal crease which was found to be tubercular sinus on histopathology

Sunstein, Statutes, and the Common Law – Reconciling Markets, the Communal Impulse, and the Mammoth State

Professor Cass Sunstein\u27s new book, After the Rights Revolution: Reconceiving the Regulatory State, builds upon, and in important ways seeks to integrate, much of Professor Sunstein\u27s work over the past several years. He has been one of our most prolific and influential writers on issues of governmental structure, approaching the subject both from more or less conventional administrative law perspectives and from the constitutional perspectives of separation of powers. His work has dealt with a tension often addressed in the literature, that between the eighteenth-century Madisonian constitutional engine of limited, internally checked government and the realities of our sprawling contemporary structures. A particular contribution of Sunstein\u27s has been to insist on bringing forward the Madisonian visions, on their accommodation, not their abandonment. This contribution entails rather vigorous disagreement with the economics-driven theorists of public choice, on the right, and those of deconstructionism, on the left. Sunstein wants to build a conceptual framework for contemporary government that embraces the Madisonian ideal of government structured to serve genuinely public ends in face of the risk of faction; that vision entails both reaching agreement on appropriate distinctions between public and private ends, and finding effective contemporary expression of such ideas as checks and balances

SSFP-based MR thermometry

Of the various techniques employed to quantify temperature changes by MR, proton resonance frequency (PRF) shift-based phase-difference imaging (PDI) is the most accurate and widely used. However, PDI is associated with various artifacts. Motivated by these limitations, we developed a new method to monitor temperature changes by MRI using the balanced steady-state free precession (balanced-SSFP) pulse sequence. Magnitude images obtained with the SSFP pulse sequence were used to find the PRF shift, which is proportional to temperature change. Spatiotemporal temperature maps were successfully reconstructed with this technique in gel phantom experiments and a rabbit model. The results show that the balanced-SSFP-based method is a promising new technique for monitoring temperature. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Armodafinil versus Modafinil in Patients of Excessive Sleepiness Associated with Shift Work Sleep Disorder: A Randomized Double Blind Multicentric Clinical Trial

Aim. To compare the efficacy and safety of armodafinil, the R-enantiomer of modafinil, with modafinil in patients of shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). Material and Methods. This was a 12-week, randomized, comparative, double-blind, multicentric, parallel-group study in 211 patients of SWSD, receiving armodafinil (150 mg) or modafinil (200 mg) one hour prior to the night shift. Outcome Measures. Efficacy was assessed by change in stanford sleepiness score (SSS) by at least 2 grades (responder) and global assessment for efficacy. Safety was assessed by incidence of adverse events, change in laboratory parameters, ECG, and global assessment of tolerability. Results. Both modafinil and armodafinil significantly improved sleepiness mean grades as compared to baseline (P < .0001). Responder rates with armodafinil (72.12%) and modafinil (74.29%) were comparable (P = .76). Adverse event incidences were comparable. Conclusion. Armodafinil was found to be safe and effective in the treatment of SWSD in Indian patients. The study did not demonstrate any difference in efficacy and safety of armodafinil 150 mg and modafinil 200 mg